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Tamworth
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Tamworth is a historic town and local government district in
Staffordshire England, located 17 miles (25km) north-east from the city
of Birmingham. The town gained its name from the River Tame, which
flows through the town. In 2002 the town had a population of 74,581
Tamworth
is the home of the historic Tamworth Castle, and has a minorly
successful non-league football team by the name of Tamworth FC.
The
town's main industries include: engineering, paper, clothing, and brick
and tile manufacturing. It is also home to the Reliant car company.
History
Tamworth
has existed since Saxon times, it was sacked by Danes in the 9th
century. Defences in the form of a castle were constructed against
Danish invaders by Ethelfleda Queen of the kingdom of Mercia.
In the
11th century, a Norman castle was built on the site of the Saxon one,
which still exists to this day.
The town
grew rapidly in the 18th and 19th centuries. during the Industrial
Revolution, due largely to the surrounding coal mines. And it also
became a hub of the canal network, with the Coventry Canal and the
Birmingham and Fazeley Canal being built through the town. Later the
railways arrived with the Midland Railway route from Derby to
Birmingham, and later the London and North Western Railway, which
provided direct trains to the capital.
The
Victorian Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel served as the town's MP from
1830 until his death in 1850. It was in Tamworth that Robert Peel
unveiled his Tamworth Manifesto in 1834 which effectively invented the
modern Conservative Party.
Tamworth
has grown rapidly in the post-war years due to overspill population
from Birmingham. It's population has tripled since the 1940s.
Tamworth
was historically split between Staffordshire and Warwickshire, with the
border running through the city centre. Staffordshire was made to
include the entire borough in 1888.
Photos
of Tamworth
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